as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
the slightest change in her daily routine leaves her in complete bewilderment
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Recent Examples of bewilderment
Uncertainty across the region The news of peace came with a sense of bewilderment and uncertainty in a region that suffered collateral damage through months of war.
—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Many of these terms were meant as insults and were – and remain today – tremendously rude, but others reflect the bewilderment of trying to categorize people who don’t fit into standard categories easily.
—
Ky Merkley,
The Conversation,
15 June 2026
Suzanna waits for hours in the bank’s vestibule—that practical but indeterminate space shielding the true interior from the intemperate outdoors—much to the bewilderment of the young security guard perched on a stool nearby.
—
Laura Miller,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
Not out of cruelty but out of bewilderment.
—
Daren Smith,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bewilderment
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Many of these terms were meant as insults and were – and remain today – tremendously rude, but others reflect the bewilderment of trying to categorize people who don’t fit into standard categories easily.
—
Ky Merkley,
The Conversation,
15 June 2026
Suzanna waits for hours in the bank’s vestibule—that practical but indeterminate space shielding the true interior from the intemperate outdoors—much to the bewilderment of the young security guard perched on a stool nearby.
—
Laura Miller,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
Not out of cruelty but out of bewilderment.
—
Daren Smith,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bewilderment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bewilderment
Noun
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Mercury stations retrograde in Cancer in your 11th House of Friends and Community, bringing old invitations, group-chat confusion, or unclear expectations back into focus.
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In it, the author described a culture of confusion, stress, and incompetence, as contractors competed for work to be completed under near-impossible deadlines.
Noun
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When Ian Happ made the final out of the frame, the umpires convened and called a delay, a rare stoppage because of the fog-shrouded Wrigley Field.
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Dense fog shrouded the Golden Gate Bridge and masked the city's fireworks display.
Cite this Entry
“Bewilderment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bewilderment. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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